The Bean Town Frog

France v Ireland...the Managers

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 22:36:21 PST

As we are less than a week away from the first match between France and Ireland, I was thinking about all the elements that go into the game...why not...I have time and why not over analyze the matches! So the first entry will be on the Managers. Since they are the ones that select the players, the line ups, tactics, formations and provide the inspirational speeches...or in Domenech's case some astrological explanations.

Let us start with the Irish manager...who is Italian. Giovanni Trapattoni, or Trap to his closest friends. Anyone who follows footie knows of the Italian and his storied track record with clubs, less glorious with nations since the Italian teams he lead did not shower themselves in titles. Granted, his Japan/South Korea adventure could have ended better had Italy not gone out in controversial manner to the co hosts South Korea. However, the Italian is very adept at the art of football management and ensuring he gets the most out of what he has at hand. At the club level he has won everything one could hope for, no need to list it out you can follow his link above to see his record. I think he is a solid manager when it comes to knock out style competitions, which is really what we have coming up. You do not win all the major club silverware without having a knowledge of managing game to game, knowing that a loss and you are out. Finally he is Italian...so he knows how to get his teams to defend and play for the 1-0 win...with over 2 weeks to prepare I am sure that he has poured over match video and statistics and is keenly aware of France's weaknesses....ok really does not need to study too much, he could just read this blog - we all know that Les Bleus are vulnerable to set pieces, something Ireland is rather adept at. I am sure he will have some thoughts about how to get set pieces anywhere inside the French half and how to exploit France's skittish defending on these actions. He will give Ireland and their fans much to hope for, granted his team had some poor performances in the group stages, but were able to draw twice with Italy...almost beating them at Croke Park.

What about Les Bleus...well we all know who their manager is...and how I feel about him. He has been fairly consistent during his tenure with France. Consistently maddening! He continues to insist on having 2 holding midfielders, even against weaker sides. He jettisons players without much reason - Pires, Guily, Trezeguet to name a few. He has a bunch of binkies...who are terrible - Boumsong. He should have been axed after a disasterous Euro campaign. Finally he has the personnel skills of a gnat - see how he jettisoned Pires and Guily or how he "informed" Malouda that he would not be playing in a recent match. Yet through all of this he maintains his job. The side he has selected for these matches are very close to what he has always leaned on these days, so for creativity a zero. But I think consistency needs to be factored so that is good. His in game tactics leave much to be desired...something I have written about in the past. I think he uses his substitutions poorly, not controlling the pace and rhythm of the game when he could be (one match in particular against Israel where up 1-0 but down a player he does not use a substitute until the game is level, when he could have used his subs to get fresh legs on the pitch and slow down the Israeli momentum). Finally there is no love lost between Domenech and the Italians. Clearly during his time managing the U20s he had many a run ins with the Italians that did not come out in his favor. Is it mental? Does he have something against managing versus an Italian counterpart?

Overall I give the edge to Trap. While Domenech has a superior pool of players to select from, Trapattoni is a better in game manager and his club experience will make him very comfortable managing a home-away situation. Advantage - Ireland.

PSG...1 step forward....2 steps back

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 13:44:29 PST

Aie Aie Aie!!! PSG with a resounding win last week against Sochaux and this week hit the post twice and end up losing 1-0 on last minute goal from Remy. PSG was then booed off the Parc Des Princes pitch. Somewhat understandable since PSG has had trouble showing any consistency this season which is maddening. They now find themselves on the wrong side of the table.

Clearly they have been hurt by the lack of success from Hoarau who contributed 20 goals last season in all competitions. So far this season...1 goal. In addition Erding has missed a number of matches adding to PSG's offensive woes. Defensively, PSG has not been terrible. Coupet has been solid in the back, Makelele his usually strong defensive self in the midfield, Armand - Sakho et al. doing their part in the back. In the midfield, Sessegnon has continued to be his creative self...so really the main culprit...lack of finishing.

PSG better find the touch in front of goal, otherwise the league will drift further and further away from the Parisians.

France v Ireland...more deep thoughts

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:00:45 PST

So I have had another 24 hours to think about the players Domenech has called up for the upcoming matches versus Ireland, and thought occurred to me - might Domenech be looking to go to a hybrid 4-4-2, maybe even a 4-2-2-2? He does not have a true right winger. Granted Remy could fill that role, but he is more a second striker/offense midfielder, not a true winger (then again are there still true wingers? Great article in a recent World Soccer that discusses the move away from using traditional wingers).

However here is what I envision might happen...Henry is not 100% so he cannot start. Therefore, Domenech decides to go with his usual 4-2-3-1 with the following:

Evra, Abidal, Gallas, Sagna
Toulalan, Lass
Malouda, Gourcuff, Anelka
Gignac

Yet this formation could easily swing to a 4-4-2 with Anelka and Gignac up front, Malouda swung wide left, Gourcuff right, but really with license to roam and Toulalan/Lass holding the midfield line. The formation could easily move to a 4-2-2-2 with Lass and Toulalan as holding midfield, Malouda and Gourcuff offensive midfielders and two traditional strikers. Malouda is as comfortable wide left or sliding a bit more to the center of the park. The question would be can Gourcuff stay true to the right side, enough to keep the Irish honest on that flank, or will his natural tendencies to slot high behind the strikers leave that channel vacant? But if he could work the right side, it would allow the French attack to be more balanced, at least force Ireland to respect that flank.

I am not sure Domenech will allow inexperienced players such as Remy play much of a role in the offense. I do think that his binky Govou will play a part in the games. I just fear that going back to a 1 striker system, against an Irish team that knows how to defend, will make goal scoring that much more difficult. Without Ribery, the offense will lean heavily on the stable of strikers Les Bleus can call on, unfortunately if they are planted on the substitutes bench they do not do you much service.

Much of this also depends on the health of Henry. If Titi is 100%, I am sure Domenech will slot him on the left, Gourcuff in the center and Anelka/Govou on the right and have Gignac at the point. Not terrible since Henry can act as a second striker, but you would have a few offensive players - Henry, Anelka, Gignac and Govou who tend to drift into the middle of the park...again back to the demise of the outright winger. Bottum line, France need to play for the win in Ireland and that can only be done by leveraging the offensive strength of Les Bleus - their strikers. So come on Domenech, get more than 1 on the pitch.

Les Bleus announce new kit

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:44:05 PST

France have a new kit. During his announcement for the upcoming play off round, Domenech also showed off the new kit. It has some striking similarities to the kit France wore during their 1984 European success as well as the 1998 World Cup...hmmmm coincidence. Hopefully the kit last more than 2 games. With Nike taking over the responsibility for France in 2011 this might be the last Adidas kit for France...

Ah the memories...Zizou and Platini wearing the kit that appears to have influenced the new France kit.

France v Ireland World Cup Qualifiers - Domenech makes his list

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:30:12 PST

So the list for the 2nd place play off for the World Cup is out for Les Bleus...no major surprises but some interesting formations/situations may arise. First the list:

Gardiens de But

Cédric CARRASSO	Girondins Bordeaux
Hugo LLORIS	Olympique Lyonnais
Stève MANDANDA	Olympique de Marseille

Eric ABIDAL	F.C. Barcelone
Aly CISSOKHO	Olympique Lyonnais
Julien ESCUDE	FC Seville
Patrice EVRA	Manchester United
Rod FANNI	Stade Rennais
William GALLAS	Arsenal F.C.
Bakary SAGNA	Arsenal F.C.
Sébastien SQUILLACI	F.C. Seville

Abou DIABY	Arsenal F.C.
Alou DIARRA	Girondins Bordeaux
Lassana DIARRA	Real Madrid
Yoann GOURCUFF	Girondins de Bordeaux
Florent MALOUDA	Chelsea F.C.
Moussa SISSOKO	Toulouse F.C.
Jérémy TOULALAN	Olympique Lyonnais

Nicolas ANELKA	Chelsea F.C.
Karim BENZEMA	Real Madrid
André-Pierre GIGNAC	Toulouse F.C.
Sidney GOVOU	Olympique Lyonnais
Thierry HENRY	F.C. Barcelone
Loïc REMY	OGC Nice

There are really no major surprises with regards to who was included. Cissokho has been touted as the next French lateral defender to get his chance. With the injury to Clichy, clearly the door was open for the Lyon player. I am sure it did not hurt that his club has been doing very well in the Champions League, giving the defender great exposure at a high level. Clearly the defender has had a fairy tale story - a few seasons ago he was in Ligue 2, got picked up by a 2nd tier club in Portugal only to find himself at FC Porto...and last season he was the target for Milan only to find himself at Olympique Lyonnaise where he is clearly establishing himself as on the the best lateral defenders in France. The latest rumor is that some of the big fish in England may be interested in securing his services. And now he has received a deserved call up to the French national side...quit an interesting few months.

What is really glaring are the names that are missing.

Let us start with Vieira. Clearly Domenech is not convinced that the France captain is fit enough to include in his list. For once I am in agreement with the French manager. I am a huge Pat fan, as I had blogged about in the past he is the best holding midfielder France has ever had. However, he has become very injury prone, not something that easy to over come the way he plays either. At his best he was a true "box to box" midfielder, could level a bone crunching tackle, slot a surgical diagonal pass and score the crucial goal all in a days work. Many point to the Zizou head butt as what did France in during the 2006 World Cup finals...I say it was Vieira having to be substituted out due to a hamstring injury - this took out one of Frances PK shooters, forced Domenech to put in Diarra when I am sure he was not in the substitution plan and eliminated one of France's best players for the tournament. He was absolutely huge for Les Bleus during that run - scored the crucial goal against Togo and set up the second goal, scored the winner against Spain, and partnering with Makelele formed the defensive cover to allow Zizou to roam freely in the midfield.

Having said all that, I do believe his time with France has come to an end. It was a huge risk to take him to the Euros where he played 0 minutes. Domenech cannot and should not chance it during the home and away match up against Ireland. Will Pat be fit to play in South Africa if France make it...not sure. Maybe a full season with Inter will demonstrate how much more he has left in the tank. But I fear it will not be enough.

Another ommission is Mexes. Unlike Vieira, Mexes is at the height of his prowess. He appears to have been completely banished from Les Bleus...which I think is absolutely insane. I have little faith in Escude. I realize that the Sevilla defender had some poor luck against Romania, however I just do not see it when he has played for France. Yes he is good in the air...but so is Mexes. I realize he plays his club football with Squillaci so there is some understanding there, but right now neither he nor Mexes have had great showings for France recently. However the upside for the Roma player is much higher in my opinion. I think Mexes-Gallas is the central pairing that could and should work, but only if they are given the time to develop - in practice and during matches. Granted the next two games are not the time to experiment, but since I doubt that Escude will see the field for either match, why not have Mexes at Clairfontaine?

Ribery is also absent. However since he is not 100% - probably out for another month. So clearly not an option. Gomis was left at home in favor of Remy. Not entirely surprising since the Nice striker might be a good option holding up the right channel, not something in Gomis' repetoire. No Nasri, again he has picked up full competition recently so probably not enough football in his legs to warrant a spot. No Boumsong...oh wait that is GREAT!

Without the Kaiser, the French formation almost sets itself - Henry should be on the left side (assuming he is 100% himself), allowing Gourcuff in the middle with either Gouvou/Anelka/Remy on the right. Benzema/Anelka at the point. Lass and Toulalan as the holding midfield. With the usual back line - Evra, Abidal, Gallas, Sagna. It will be interesting if reverting back to the 4-2-3-1 will slow down what appeared to be a more attacking minding French side with the 4-4-2...

Champions League upset - Bordeaux

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:50:00 PST

Congrats to the Girodins de Bordeaux, pulling off the 2-0 victory versus Bayern Munich on the German's turf. Goals from Gourcuff and Chamakh ensure that the French champs are through to the knock out stages with 2 more games to go in the group. This is a huge step for the club after last year where they fell out of the Champions League after being "corrected" by Chelsea in the group stages. Now the true test will emerge, can Bordeaux or Lyon (they too should get to the knock out stage) get past the first round? Will at least one Ligue 1 side make the 1/4 finals...or gasp the 1/2 finals? Granted the ultimate goal is the finals...and a victory, but not since Monaco have a French side made it past the 1/4 finals.

Bordeaux have the pieces in place. Whether or not they have the "bottle" to push through is still to be determined.

PSG over the flu

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 19:06:29 PST

So PSG got back to the pitch this weekend after having their derby match against OM postponed last week due to the H1N1 virus, aka swine flu. The time off seemed to have worked with a convincing 4-1 drubbing of Sochaux. The score line could have been worse had Sessegnon been more clinic in some of his attacks in the first half when the PSG counter caught Sochaux out numbered in the back. Erding made a successful come back to his former club slotting home the 3rd goal for PSG. Also the Chantome - Clement holding midfield duo worked well together and should be give more time together, this would also allow Makelele more time to recover.

So now the team from the capital find themselves 9 points back of the leader Bordeaux. With the return of Erding, I hope that PSG is in for a run of good form and have gotten the typical bad PSG run out of their system. They still have a chance to creep back into the race. Unlike in England or Spain, Ligue 1 is much more fluid and dynamic. Now let us see if PSG can live up to this fan's expectations.

Poor Rafa...good for Lyon and Bordeaux!

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:48:47 PDT

Impressive victory for OL defeating Liverpool in the Champions League this week, and did this at Anfield. Having the full 9 points from the first 3 games places Lyon in pole position to go through. Knowing they will receive both Liverpool and Debreceni at home, it is not impossible to see Lyon with a sure 4 points from those 2 matches...at 13 points they should be safe. As for Rafa, with the Manchester United game looming might the Reds go 0-3 this week? Poor Rafa, at least with Gerrard and Torres hurt he has a built in excuse for the poor run of form.

Another Ligue 1 side is also surprising - Bordeaux. They too are sitting atop their group. The only points Bordeaux dropped were on the road to Juventus where they drew 1-1. Bordeaux will have to travel to Bayern for the next rounds of matches, where a draw would be a very respectable result. They will also have to travel to Maccabi, which will not be a simple match, but Bordeaux should be able to secure a draw. The key will be the return leg against Juventus back at Bordeaux, if Les Girodins can get another draw then they should be through.

Oh yeah the third team from Ligue 1 is Marseilles...they are 3 points behind Milan and Real. They will need to beat Zurich in the next round to have a chance before facing Milan and Real. It will be difficult but could be possible.

Anyways Ligue 1 is holding its own right now, but the true test will be if one of the clubs can get to the 1/4 finals or further. That will be the true barometer of the success of the clubs. Time will tell.

The 2nd place draw is out!! France to meet Ireland....tough draw

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:28:17 PDT

So FIFA made the draw today and the match ups are set. I will admit my greatest fear came true, Les Bleus will have to face the Irish in the match up...no not the team in South Bend Indiana...so let us first look at the pairings for the final 4 spots for South Africa:

Portugal v Bosnia: Most likely the most lopsided draw. Even if Portugal are without Ronaldo they should find a way to beat the upstarts from the Balkans. Although Bosnia can put up quit a fight for the spot. They kept Belgium and Turkey out of the running in their group, and were it not for being drawn with European Cup Champion Spain, they could have secured a direct qualification for the World Cup. The key will be how the young Pjanic plays in the midfield. Can he control the flow of the game? The young Bosnian is quietly becoming the midfield cog for Lyon and is one of Europe's up and coming stars. This is just the type of matches that a young star can announce himself to the world. And will the Bosnia strikers find success against the Portugese? They have some quality strikers that play in the Bundesliga so are no slouches when it comes to high pressure matches, players such as Misimovic, Dzeko and Ibisevic. Portugal will lean on Deco to carry the rhythm of the game (assuming Ronaldo is out) to the Bosnians. While the Bosnians have nothing to lose, I think there is too much talent on the Portuguese side with Deco, Nani, Simao, Gomes, Tiago, Carvalho and Boswinga to name a few. It will not be easy but Portugal will go through. Portugal through 3-1 on aggregate.

Greece v Ukraine: This is an intriguing match up. Greece was in a weak group 2 where they finished 1 point back of leaders Switzerland. The former European Champs struggled, losing twice to Switzerland, losing to Moldova and only defeating Luxembourg 2-1. However the Greeks still play a difficult style, defending with 11 and looking to strike on the counter. While Ukraine is heading into this match up on a high, coming from behind in their group to take the runner spot from Croatia, including an improbable 1-0 Ukrainian victory over the 3 lions. They still have a deadly Sheva and can surprise. I can see this match up heading to PKs - Ukraine goes through 1-1 on aggregate 7-6 in PKs.

Russia v Slovenia: The Russians almost took the top spot from Germany, well maybe not almost but they had a serious chance to do so going into the match up against their old time rival in Moscow. However once again Germany did what it always seems to do...get a 1-0 win when it needed it. So now the Russians face a surprise team in Slovenia. They first surprised in the Euro 2000 when they qualified by defeating Ukraine to get into the tournament, where they showed well for themselves only losing to Spain 2-1 in the group stage. However they are playing a team in Russia who were the surprise last Euro and in a player Arshavin who can turn a game on its head. I just do not see Slovenia finding an answer to the diminutive Arsenal winger nor strikers such as Pavlyuchenko. Add into this mix Hiddink, a veteran manager who has 1 month to prepare for Slovenia, and I see it as the easiest qualification of the play off pairings. Russia through 5-0 on aggregate.

France v Ireland: Ok...the best for last...I guess. Ugh. This is not the match up I was looking for for Les Bleus. Ireland were the "1 point" team, getting only 4 wins for 6 draws during the qualifiers. A hard luck draw against the World Cup Champs in Dublin on a last minute goal. Least we forget the struggles France had against Ireland in the qualifiers for the 2006 world cup! A sheer act of brilliance gave Les Bleus a 1-0 victory in Dublin...

So what do we have in store this time? Ireland have some solid players - Dunn, O'Shea, Keane and Given to name a few. Given is the one that scares me the most, he is a solid and reliable keeper. France's inability (until recently) to score goals means that Given and the Irish defense could hold France at bay and look to beat them on the counter or on set pieces.

Let us face it, France's Achilles heal remains dead balls...an area where Ireland excels. See the both goals they scored against Italy. The first was not a typical set piece goal, but I can see Les Bleus overplaying the potential pull back and then opening themselves up to a high ball into the penalty area.

I fear that Ireland will look to beat Les Bleus on the set piece, and why not! It worked for Scotland during the Euro qualifiers. Last time these two nations faced off in qualifiers, Ireland drew 0-0 in Paris and lost 1-0 in Dublin. The latter was after the "old guard" returned: Makelele, Thuram and Zizou. Those folks are not walking through the door at Clairefontaine! No reason to believe that the away and home series might not fall along the same lines.

The key will be the first match for France. I think they need to come back with at least 1 away goal in their back pocket, hopefully with a victory but at least a draw. Why? If Les Bleus come home down or with a 0-0 draw I fear the following scenario will play out - Ireland play a cautious first 15 minutes, defend and try to beat France on the counter. The play the rest of the 1st half more offensively trying to grab a goal. If they go into half time up or even with France they come out the second half and defend with 9 to 10 players behind the ball always looking to spring Keane, or looking for a set piece deep in French territory, see if they cannot sneak in a goal. Ireland will look for the away goal victory or get to PKs, where we know it is a complete crap shoot. For this reason France must go to Dublin looking to score at least 1 goal, how is that for strategy??? But I think Domenech should consider a 4-4-2 for that match align - Sagna, Abidal, Gallas, Evra in the back with Malouda on the left, Gourcuff and LDiarra in the middle and Ribery on the right (I realize Ribery does not like it there, but France need to bring some offense to the right side of the pitch and he played there very well in the past), and have Henry - Benzema (or Anelka) up front. The 4-4-2 will bring much more width and attack than the 4-2-3-1, you might open yourself to some risk of more counters, but if you force Ireland back into their defensive 1/3 that might block any semblance of organized attacks from the Irish.

I am not sure how this will play out, but I know it will be nerve racking to say the least...predictions on this match up as we draw closer!!!

Poor Rafa...hheeheeeheee

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:06:45 PDT

I did not watch the entire match but I cannot help myself to chuckle at Rafa and Liverpool. Starting, arguably, their most challenging week Rafa and his men fell 1-0 to a beach ball...see below:

This drops Liverpool to 7 points behind league leaders Manchester United, who they have to face this upcoming weekend. Dropping points to Sunderland is not a way to challenge for silverware Rafa. Once again I call into question the Spaniards ability to manage a team for an entire season. There is no doubt he is a solid game to game manager in a knock out competition, but when it comes to managing for a league title, I question his talents especially on player movements. Granted Torres and Gerrard were out yesterday, but every team needs to deal with adversity of losing players. But I am not sure that even if they were on the pitch yesterday if they would have been able to defend against Bent who absolutely torched the Liverpool defense, and could have had a brace or hat trick had he been a little bit more clinical in his final touch.

Again, Rafa will live on the glory of 15 crazy minutes in Istanbul, without that improbable run he might have been looking for work a few years ago.

Group play is over...now the real work begins for Les Bleus

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:43:57 PDT

France ended their World Cup qualifying group stage campaign, and are now awaiting to learn their fate with which of the following nations - Slovenia, Ireland, Bosnia or Ukraine - to play a tense home and away series to determine which nation will head to South Africa next year. The fact that Les Bleus need an extra 2 matches to reach South Africa is an indicator that the qualifying campaign was not a success. Not a massive failure...that would have been had France ended 3rd or lower. So let us first look at the match against Austria:

The Good:

Once again, Benzema had a solid match. Maybe he continues to be motivated by his small verbal skirmish he had with his manager. Clearly he has demonstrated a willingness and desire to battle these last two games when wearing the blue kit. He scored a superb goal with the head early in the match, latching on to former Lyon teammate Malouda's cross. He was lethal making charging runs on the left wing (why does it seem all of France's offensive players gravitate to the left - Henry, Ribery, Malouda, Benzema...). He also razzled with his footwork, not hesitating in his one on one challenges of the Austrian defense. At times showing footwork that somewhat resembled another France #10 with Algerian roots. If Benzema can consistently demonstrate this drive and ability, it must make Domenech reconsider having him act as a substitute for Les Bleus.
Speaking of strikers, Gignac also showed something in this match. The Toulouse striker scored a wonderful goal from outside the box, once again with his right foot, but the ability to strike from long distance is something that Les Bleus are missing.
Malouda also impressed me. He was almost acting as the #10 for much of the match, drifting around the pitch, springing attacks, linking up the defense to the offense, and not being afraid to take his chances. He almost scored on a screamer in the second half only to see it go just wide of the far post, had a brilliant run end of the first half where he was able to deflected the ball from one foot off the other to ease around 2 Austrian defenders.
The French defense was placed under too much pressure, however Fanni demonstrated that he has some strong talent in those boots. He tackled well, was very active offensively not afraid to fill in the space to support the offense and was not afraid to use his pace and dribbling to take on defenders. Even when he made mistakes, midway through the second half he lost a ball in his defensive 1/3 but used his pace to recover and smother the shot. I am not ready to say he should start ahead of Sagna, but I think there is talent and depth at that post.
Ok this might be a first, but I will say that Domenech for once was good...barely. What do I mean by that? I am happy to see he did not simply run out the same team he has in the past. This match meant nothing in terms of the standings, but it was a great opportunity to see some players - the entire back line was different: Fanni, Squillaci, Escude, Clichy. The holding midfield - Sissoko and ADiarra. Offensively Malouda, Gouvou, Benzema and Henry. The playing of Henry and Benzema to me, signaled a test to see how the two could function together, could France head back to a 4-4-2 with Ribery and Gourcuff in the offensive roles in the midfield? Bringing in Gomis and Gignac was good, see what they can do offensively, because I am sure that during the playoffs you will need to, in at least one of the games, bring in some offensive substitutions late to try and get a goal.

The Bad:

I hate to pick on him, but Escude looked terrible! The Austrian goal I place squarely on his shoulders. It was too easy for the Austrian striker to nudge him off the through ball which lead to an odd man attack on Lloris and Squillaci. He did not look at ease defending or positioning himself defensively. He did not inspire confidence in the center of the French defense.
I praise Domenech, now I need to call out some bad! Why save his last substitution? Get another player out on the pitch. Maybe change your keeper, why wasn't Carrasso the back up? Get him in there to give him some experience, see how he plays for 45 minutes. What about Diaby? It would have been nice to see him on the left side, see if he and Clichy can carry over some of their work with Arsenal to Les Bleus. If you are selecting these players when you get the chance...play them! I would have been interested to seeing a diamond midfield with Sissoko the defensive base, Diaby on the left, Gouvou on the right and Malouda at the offensive tip - with Gomis and Gignac as the tandem strikers.

The Ugly:

The idiot fans that invaded the pitch late. Not good people, come on let's grow up. That cannot be good either for France as they bid for an upcoming Euro tournament.
The fact Les Bleus need to play 2 more matches. Let us face it, this qualifying campaign has not been a thing of beauty. Starting with the ugly 3-1 loss to this same Austrian team, followed by lackluster draws against Romania and the brave but wasted effort in Belgrade. Throw in there 2 difficult victories against Lithuania and you have were France is today - heading to the 2nd place playoff. France might still make it to South Africa next year, Zidane thinks so, they might even do something other than site seeing while there...France have the talent as well as the depth - how many nations can leave a Mexes off your squad? I am still not convinced...no surprise...that Domenech knows what he is doing, what system really works for his talent pool and how to ensure he gets the most out of this collection of players. Making the World Cup or European Cup is no longer the goal for France, they need to contend at this tournaments, nations like Germany and Brazil, even when they are "down" know that getting to a 1/4 final or 1/2 final is the least of their expectations. Les Bleus are getting to that level, but with that comes the mentality that such success is the rule not the exception. The campaign was ugly and is far from over, however sometimes the ugliest qualifying campaigns lead to the best results - similar to Euro 2000 when France struggled mightily to qualify, doing so by the narrowest of margins - and we all know how the Euro 2000 ended.

So France lives another day...we will see next week who they will get in the November 2nd place play off. For now we can ponder what could have and should have been, but more importantly think about what might be with Les Bleus. Do you think it will be good or bad???

Trezegol back for Les Bleus???

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:39:48 PDT

A recent report states that both Domenech and Trezeguet might bury the hatchet opening the door for the Juve striker to come back to Les Bleus. Interesting. I have always been a fan of Trez, it was unfair that so much blame was pointed in his direction after he missed his PK in the World Cup finals, he was a crucial cog in France's 1998 World Cup success as well as the 2000 Euros, paired up with Henry with Zidane sitting behind them, the tandem was arguable one of the deadliest strike tandems the game has seen. There was a friendly in Germany where the duo was unstoppable, drilling Germany 3-0.

The question becomes, does France need David? To me the French system under Domenech does not lend itself to Trezegol's style. Since for the most part Les Bleus play with one striker and that is not Trezeguet's strength. He needs a partner up front that can draw attention away from him, allow him to be a "fox in the box." He is the best when there is a striker such as Henry that can run at defenders, take the ball deep and carry the game into the offensive end, allowing Trezegol to position himself for crosses, weak side runs, tap ins, headers, and all the usual goals that come from a "fox." As much as I think Trezeguet deserves a chance to wear the blue kit and retire from the international game the way he wants, I fear that France have moved to a style that will not suit him...unless Domenech leaves as well....

Who to start on Wednesday for Les Bleus??

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 20:35:29 PDT

First off, this is my 500 posts on the Bean Town frog, I thought long and hard about making it something reflective, deep and memorable...but instead I will talk about...Les Bleus and make it short and sweet! Well maybe not short...

With France qualified for the play offs, and with many players hurt or beat up....what should Domenech do? Well other than resign...I think he should put out a squad of the younger players, let them get some first team action.

I would like to see Clichy on the left and Fanni on the right, I would even experiment with Toulalan as central defense...too bad there is no Mexes because he needs to be integrated into this squad soon, but the Toulalan experiment might be too much. So let say we see Escude and Squillaci in the middle of the defense. Midfield, let Diaby control the left, ADiarra play the role of holding with Sissoko on the right. I would go with 3 strikers - Benzema on the left, Gomis in the middle and Gignac on the right (I know the Toulouse man score a brace over the weekend, but I still think he needs more time wearing the Blue kit). If you go with 2 strikers maybe slot Malouda behind them, allow him to wander the offensive zone.

I think without your regular play makers - Gourcuff, Ribery or Nasri - you cannot really use this match to see how to run your team against whoever you will face in the play off...plus maybe you do not want to show too much either! I think you need to get some players on the pitch, allow yourself to see if Escude-Squillaci would work, at least how individually they play. You want to get a sense of where Diaby could slot, left midfielder, deep lying holding midfielder? Sissoko got his first cap, but let us see what he can do for 80 or 90 minutes. Having him on the pitch with Gignac will also give you some insight into if they can give you some answers to the right side of the pitch, similar to what they do for Toulouse.

Give Benzema a game to see if he can demonstrate the offensive will power as he did on Saturday. Slot Gomis up front allow him to show whether or not he is the offensive option France could use coming off the bench.

This is much to ask from a team in 90 minutes. However running out the same formation will not show you much, let us get some fresh legs in there and see what they can do.

France qualify!!!!! for the second place play offs.....

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:13:14 PDT

Well what we all have accepted is now official - Les Bleus have qualified for the second place play off for the World Cup, with a rather easy 5-0 victory over the 185th ranked team according to FIFA. Sigh. What could have, should have, might have been...so let us look at the last match from Les Bleus:

The Good:

The win - ok the result should never have been in question, but the fact that Les Bleus have not been shining during these qualifiers - only getting a simple 1-0 win away to the Faroe's - and the fact the Faroe Islands just secured their first win of the campaign over Lithuania 2-1. There was a undertone of nervousness heading into the game, even some of the French players were questioning if they could some how find a victory having to play on the smaller pitch at Guingamp. So France secured the essential, getting the 3 points, scoring goals, and assuring themselves that the game against Austria is a friendly...albeit an important one with the 2nd place playoffs looming.
Titi Henry once again demonstrated that he will lead this side. His work rate in the second half was outstanding, he was basically playing the role of the #10 for Les Bleus. He was not afraid to use his pace to take on defenders but was also clearly seeking his teammates out with a number of clinical passes. His free kick at the end of the first half should have resulted in a goal from Gallas, who tried to make his attempt too perfect only to see his header skim off the cross bar. He did find Gallas again later for the third goal. In the second half, the Barcelona man was at the center of most of the offensive action. While he still attacked mostly from his preferred left side, he drifted to the middle truly looking like a #10.
Scoring a brace means that you did something well...Gignac clearly likes playing this nation, since he opened his account with Les Bleus when France first met the Faroe Islands in August. The first goal today was a true predator's goal, getting a nice square pass from Anelka, he pivoted and fired a shot that caught the Mikkelsen wrong footed. The second goal was a pure individual effort, after a long distribution from Mandanda, Gignac took on, what appeared to be, the entire defensive back line, raced to the 18 yard box and hit an unstoppable right footed shot that nestled right inside the far post. He had a few opportunities to get his hat trick only to have the Faroe keeper make some solid saves. Has the Toulouse man solidified his place in the hierarchy? I think that to Domenech he has...meaning Benzema is condemned to being a super sub. Does he deserve this? To me Gignac is a solid stiker but I am not sure he has the ability of a Benzema. Gignac has a deadly right foot...but not sure he trusts his left foot or has enough of an aerial game. I read a statistic that all but one of his league leading goals he scored last season for Toulouse was with his right foot! I do like him playing for Les Bleus, but I have to see him doing this against more formidable opposition. But for this match...very good.
Speaking of Gignac and Benzema, the young Real Madrid striker responded well to the clouds that were gathering in the press between himself and Domenech. Once again coming in late in the match, to replace the above mentioned Gignac, Benzema played with pace and power that we have come to expect from him when he plays for club. In the last quarter hour he played he had an assist and a goal. However more than these statistics, Benzema was very active on the offensive end, clearly wanting to show his desire and ability. Maybe wanting to give Domenech something to think about!

One Faroe player to point out was Mikkelsen, the keeper. Yes he gave up 5 goals, but made a number of outstanding saves to keep the score line where it was. He made emergency saves on Gignac on a first half break away, against Anelka one on one in the second half, on a point blank effort from Henry in the second half, just to name a few. Without his heroics the game might have ended 7-0 or worse.
It was good to see Malouda and Sissoko getting time on the pitch. The former used to play for En Avant Guingamp, so being able to play for Les Bleus on his old pitch was a well deserved honor. The latter made his first appearance for the A side. A much deserved honor. He did not have much to do, so was not able to show of his skill set, but I hope this match is the first of many for him under the Blue kit.

The Bad:

From France's point of view nothing bad...other than this offensive punch should have been seen earlier in the World Cup qualifiers!

The Ugly:

Even when Les Bleus win by 5 goals...I must point out Domenech's lack of managerial ability. What do I mean by this? I realize without a true #10 (no Gourcuff, no Nasri, no Ribery) that the team went back to a 4-4-2 formation...but why have TWO holding midfielders in that formation? I realize that Toulalan played a solid game, but neither he nor Lass were really needed to "stem the tide" of Faroe attacks! What was telling was watching Gallas dribble at the Faroe defense, in their own 1/3 of the field on more than one occasion...if one of you center backs is pretending to be Messi, then do you need 2 holding midfielders??? France were basically playing a 4-3-3 at the end of the match, with Henry-Benzema-Anelka up front, being supported by Gouvou-Diarra-Sissoko, clearly the Faroe Islands had no answers to that formation. One might argue that it was the 70 minutes of defending they were forced to do that allowed this formation to have success, to which I would say...BS....if France had employed this formation it might have been 5-0 at half time...there is no way this team could have defended against those three French strikers up front. However, once again Domenech demonstrates a complete lack of vision. I am sure some might say - they did win 5-0 so he was doing something right. But to me this is a reflection of what is wrong with the French manager, and inflexibility and unwillingness to change his style even though the players at his disposal may warrant such a change.

Anyways, Les Bleus head to the playoffs, and based on what could happen, it would appear they will face Bosnia, Ukraine, Slovenia, or Ireland (as of right now and having not looked at the latest FIFA rankings) Of which either Ireland or Ukraine would be the most difficult, heading to play in those nations would not be a cup of tea. An expected win by Les Bleus, now need to get ready for the play offs.

Vieira in Chelsea Blue????

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 07:57:22 PDT

Wow, the latest from the Sun - Chelsea might be interested in Inter's Vieira! How strange would that be to see Pat wearing the Chelsea kit? Then again that would hearken back to the days of old at Stamford Bridge - when Chelsea was the retirement home for internationals!

Back before Chelsea became a spending machine due to the Siberian Money Bags - what I liked about Chelsea was the fact that players such as Deschamps, Petit (who also made the cross town switch from Arsenal to Chelsea), Zola, Gullit, Vialli and Desailly to name a few would end their careers in the Chelsea blue. If Vieira heads to Stamford Bridge that would just add to the retirement home concept. Maybe Chelsea can bring back the kits with "Coors" as the sponsor!

Now things get interesting - Ribery out for Les Bleus

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:56:34 PDT

Aie Aie Aie...what else can you say. Ribery is the last, after Gourcuff, that will sit out the next two matches for Les Bleus. Without Gourcuff and Ribery, France is at a loss for who will assume the #10 role, who will be the one to carry the game?

Domenech did call up Gomis from Lyon, who we have not seen since the European Cup. I find that interesting since Gomis is a traditional high striker. He is more in the mold of a Trezegeut, so very different than Ribery. He certainly cannot slot back into the midfield. This seems to me that France will need to switch to a 4-4-2. Similar back line - Sagna, Gallas, Abidal, Evra. I think the midfield will switch to a flat 4, but really 2 deeper holding midfielders with two wide wings - Malouda/Henry on the left, Lass, Toulalan, Gouvou in the midfield. With Henry and Anelka up front - allowing Henry to slot left and drift back to the middle.

There is not necessarily a true #10 on this team so the creativity will need to come from the wings - Gouvou and Malouda, as well as the individuals up front - Henry and Anelka. The question becomes, can Les Bleus bridge the gap between the defensive back line and the attacking half of the pitch? Can Malouda, Gouvou or even a Diaby hold the midfield together and link the offense and defense? This will be the key to France's success...no surprise there. Again, France should have no problems with the Faroe Islands and really should be able to at least get a draw against Austria. However without either #10 option, France may find it more difficult to make a push to get the full 6 points and goal difference to over take Serbia.

Then again maybe Domenech will go with a 4-3-3!!! Put Henry - Anelka - Gignac up front. Have a midfield of Diaby on the left, Lass in the middle and Sissoko on the right. He did state he wanted to "cartonner" against the Faroe's - meaning get a pile of goals! Stranger things have happened.

Les Bleus heading into the last 2 of the WC qualifiers

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:29:27 PDT

World Cup qualifiers are coming to an end and should prove very interesting. There are a number of nations that may be out of South Africa such as Portugal and Argentina that both might completely eliminated after these games. But let us focus for a second on Les Bleus. There is much concern about France's playmaker - Gourcuff missing these upcoming matches. However I think France will be fine, here is how Domenech should play it:

Assuming he sticks, and why would he change now, to his preferred style of play: 4-2-3-1. The back line stays somewhat the same: Evra, Gallas, Abidal, Sagna.

Holding midfield - Lass and Toulalan (although I would like to see Sissoko get a start).

Offensive midfield - Henry, Ribery, Gouvou....yup Domenech's former binky, Gouvou will get the start I can just feel it. Henry will maintain his left sided position, and I would not be surprised if Ribery is slotted in the middle something he has expressed interest in at Bayern. With Ribery in the middle he could drift left when Henry pushes higher up the pitch, or drop deeper and run at defenders.

Up front I am sure Gignac will find himself, although I think Anelka should be the point.

France should be safe for the second spot in the group, a 4 point lead on Austria which should be maintained heading into the last match. Domenech needs to focus his troops on the 2nd place playoffs, that is where missing Gourcuff will hurt.

Finish line in sight - Domenech announces his list for the last 2 World Cup qualifiers

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:17:51 PDT

Two games left...and then, hopefully, the 2nd place playoff...the automatic qualifier seems out of reach for now. With matches against Faroe Islands and then Austria, Les Bleus still have much work to do to place themselves in a position to get to South Africa next year. Let us look at the list of players selected by Domenech:

Gardiens :
Cédric Carrasso (Bordeaux), Hugo Lloris (Lyon), Steve Mandanda (Marseille), Nicolas Douchez (Rennes)

Défenseurs :
Gaël Clichy (Arsenal), Julien Escudé (Séville), Patrice Evra (Manchester United), William Gallas (Arsenal), Bakary Sagna (Arsenal), Sébastien Squillaci (Séville), Eric Abidal (Barcelone), Rod Fanni (Rennes).

Milieux de terrain :
Abou Diaby (Arsenal), Alou Diarra (Bordeaux), Florent Malouda (Chelsea), Moussa Sissoko (Toulouse), Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid), Jérémy Toulalan (Lyon), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich)

Attaquants :
Nicolas Anelka (Chelsea), André-Pierre Gignac (Toulouse), Sidney Govou (Lyon), Thierry Henry (Barcelone), Karim Benzema (Real Madrid).

The big news is the lack of Gourcuff, who was injured in Bordeaux's Champions League match, and will not be available for the next two matches for Les Bleus. This is of some concern. But realistically Les Bleus should defeat the Faroe Islands and then at least get a draw against Austria in the final game of the qualifiers to secure their #2 spot in the group and places them firmly into the 2nd place playoff situation.

Just to clarify the situation, France sits on 15 points, in the determination of the best 2nd place teams the number of points taken from the last place team in the groups with 6 teams will be taken away from the total points - to make it even with the last group which only has 5 teams - so Les Bleus, would right now already be better than Norway and Scotland who are on 10 points with no more games to play. France also sits 4 points ahead of Austria for 2nd place in their group. If they win against Faroe Islands, France will head into the last game against Austria still 4 points ahead and therefore qualified for the 2nd place playoffs.

So not having Gourcuff is not crucial, it is much more important that the Bordeaux playmaker is available for the playoff. Why I am slightly concerned is that these two games need to be approached with the play off in mind, allow Domenech to determine how France will approach the home and away matches. Having Gourcuff would have been good for this. Allowing the team to figure out how they need to approach the next round and how to utlise Gourcuff - Ribery et al on offense. Withou the Bordeaux playmaker, Domenech will be deprived of this opportunity - assuming he would even know what to do with the chance.

I do like Sissoko being included. To me he is the natural replacement for Pat Vieira - he had a high motor, strong tackler and adds some offensive punch. I think this would be a good opportunity to see if he cannot be the player to partner with Diarra in the defensive midfield role, maybe move Toulalan back to central defense...hmmmm. Or maybe, gasp, play 3 holding fielders a la France 1998 - Toulalan, Sissoko and Diarra - sorry to even suggest that.

A nice highlight of Sissoko from the past weekend. Great acceleration and finishing:

I will also be interested, as will many of us, to see what the central defense pairing will look like. Once again no Mexes in the squad. Not surprised to see Gouvou back in the line up, he could actually be a good option on the right side, although I think that Remy should be given a chance to be in that channel. I also think that Luyindula would be an option to hold the right wing.

Ok Domenech, your list is not a huge surprise, you need to get ready for the play off games...you better use these two matches and training sessions well. I have little doubt that Les Bleus will get at least 4 point from the next two matches and therefore position themselves for the play off.

Domenech comdemns Benzema?

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:51:16 PDT

So the Benzema vs Domenech drama continues, in an article from the Telegramme de Brest, the France manager calls out his young striker: stating that it is inadmissible to not give 100% whether you play 90 minutes or 5 minutes. Based on Domenech's track record, we should not expect to see the Real striker getting more time with Les Bleus. While the France manager has a point, I still cannot side with him, maybe Benzema would not make these statements if Domenech were a better communicator and manager to start with. I do not mean that Domenech needs to coddle his players, but he, and I have stated this before, needs to do a much better job explaining to his team what he expects of them as a group and as individuals. In his mind he might feel he does a good job, but based on the constant reaction from players I would question that.

The current situation with Benzema and what he stated, taken in isolation, makes the Real Madrid striker look like a selfish and sensitive professional football player, taken in context of the clouds that seem to constantly be hovering over Domenech and Les Bleus and one has to continue to wonder how Domenech has remained where he is, clearly it appears he has lost his team...probably since the Euros....yet he continues to have the reigns of the national team. The only person that does not seem to think there to be any problems is Escalettes, and clearly that is all Domenech needs to remain where he is.

Mexico - US, switching national teams might be risky!

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:53:36 PDT

Interesting article about players that might play for the US National team who have strong ties to Mexico and El Tri. Following up to the post I had a few days ago about which nation could you qualify for, but this type of national team switching is very intriguing based on the heated rivalry between the two nations. Most of the players came from South America or Africa and were playing nations in different continents than where they currently reside in. When it comes to the US and Mexico, not only are they neighboring nations and heated rivals but are, obviously, in the same qualification region. Could make for very interesting situations.

Benzema does not feel right with Les Bleus...hmmmmmm

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 19:30:06 PDT

So the latest from Madrid is that French star, Karim Benzema, does not feel at ease with Les Bleus. Shocking! Well really not. When you have a manager such as Domenech who is quirky and changes ideas as often as he changes his briefs, it is difficult for players to gain confidence and more importantly understand where they fit in overall system. Let us look at the Domenech and his actions of the past:

Takes Trezeguet to Germany for the World Cup. But seems to favor Saha as the first striker off the bench. Has to use Trezegol in the finals since Saha was suspended (I believe that the yellow card against Portugal in the semi finals was one of the underlying reasons Les Bleus did not win the WC. Saha would have come in for Les Bleus rather than Trezegeut and I believe that Petit Louis' game would have lent itself to a goal in extra time for France...). We all know that Trez missed his PK, and somehow Domenech appears to have punished him for that post WC. Trezegol then goes into international exile...but gets called up for a match...he did not even have his boots with him since he never expected the call up, and then he is never to be seen from again.
What about Malouda? He inexplicably fell off Domenech's radar and now is back on. Was it due to Malouda's lack of first team play with Chelsea? Maybe but when he was first ignored he was still getting in some good run with the London Blues.
How about the keeper situation? I have ranted about this many times but the handling of the keeper situation from day 1 has been HORRENDOUS!!!! Goalkeeper is the one position in footie that needs special attention, they are creatures of habit, need to know the heirarchy and at times need coddling (this is coming from someone who wears the reusch gloves for his club on sundays!). From Barthez to Coupet to Mananda to Frey, Domenech has shown a complete lack of managerial skills when it comes to his keepers.
Then there is Mexes, who is an absolute star in Italy, but for France looks like a second division hack.
The "old guard" now I am firm believer that a footie manager, whether for the national team or club, needs to be firm when it comes to turning over his club. There needs to be a balance of experience and youth, and the hardest decision at times is when to replace the experience with youth. However a manager needs to do this while still allowing the old guard to save face and to have the recognition it deserves...neither of which Domenech was able to do with the likes of Pires and Giuly.
Finally the way he handled Makelele, not allowing the veteran to retire from the international game as he had wanted. Rather threatening to fine him and his club if did not accept the France call ups...of course this had the "special one" saying that Domenech was treating Makelele as a "Slave." While Makelele did return to play for Les Bleus, and clearly gave all he had for France. In the end it was all for naught. Maybe Domenech should have looked for a younger player to fill in that spot rather than force an aging star to continue to battle for club and country.

So what to make of Benzema's comments? While I agree that sometimes these players whine and seem too shy away from responsibilty when they are not performing, I also think one only needs to look at the track record of Domenech to see a manager that instead of getting the most out of his talent, appears to some how take talented players and reduce them to average footballers. I have no problem with managers that are not loved by their players, as long as that manager also puts those footballers in a position to be successful. I have yet to see Domenech being able to do that with what is a very talent pool of players, and I fear that he will have wasted the likes of Ribery, Evra, Diarra, Benzema, Nasri, Mandanda, Lloris, Sagna, Clichy, Gallas, etc. Too bad the French FA does not have the brains to do what is right.

OM drops first match

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 12:08:53 PDT

OM drops 3 points at Valenciennes losing 3-2 on a nice set piece goal late in the game. Marseilles seemed to have many offensive options but were weak at the back, the entry of Ben Arfa late in the contest did nothing to change the result, the young French international once again playing a very unimpressive match for Marseilles. The dropped points will allow Bordeaux and Lyon to put some distance between themselves and OM. Clearly OM is still trying to find their legs and more importantly get a comfort zone in the way Deschamps wants them to play.

Alas, PSG drew against Lorient in a game where they were down 1-0. With the lost opportunity last week to take the full 3 points from Lyon and another draw this week, PSG are leaving points on the table that might come back to haunt them in the chase for the title. Unlike OM, they cannot blame Europe for being a little "tired."

Oh, and Lyon just go down 1-0 to TFC on a brilliant run by Sissoko.

Great commercial - Evra and Nike

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:01:28 PDT

Ok I will admit, I have seen this video on a few other blogs, so I am not the first to have posted it, but it is a great commercial, very old school, very cool. Love how Nike has Rooney and Ribery make "cameos" in the video. I am sure it does not hurt that Nike will be kitting out France soon as well - the last segment of the video.

My question is always, why hasn't Adidas tried to poach some of the creative talent from Nike? While I a loyal Adidas consumer - I current wear the Predator and used to be a Copa loyalist - I will admit that Nike far outclasses their German counterpart when it comes to the ad wars. Although I did like the Adidas ad form the world cup where the two kids were picking teams...including old school Platini and Beckenbauer. Best part is when Zizou and Platini are on the same team and hug.

Even Reebok has had some great ads - aka Terrible Terry Tate! And since Adidas owns them, why not tap some of that advertising talent, at least hire the agency!

One of my favorite Terry Tate videos...a direct spoof of the the "just do it" ads run by Nike. This ad came out no less than 24 hours after Nike ran their ad of the streaker out running security at a club match in England, I am sure insider knowledge was had by Reebok (how else would they know the theme of Nike's ad) but brilliant ad.

What nationality are you? Or more importantly which nation can you play for?

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:58:27 PDT

I read a recent article in World Soccer, one of my favorite soccer publications, that covered a recent change in the rules regarding players and national teams. In the recent past players had the ability to change national teams, up to their 21st birthday, if they had not yet started for the Senior National team in what is considered an "official" match.

The new language:

"Change of association (art. 18 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA Statutes)
58% of the Congress members approved an amendment to the current article. So far, players eligible to change associations in order to play for another national team could only do so until their 21st birthday. The Congress has now decided to lift this age limit, but has maintained all the other provisions of art. 18."

Of course this allows players much more freedom to decide later on whether they want to switch national teams. The thesis of the article, which I tend to agree with, is that it will make African national teams that much stronger. For the most part I believe that to be true. You already see players such as Meghni and Bassong who both were developed at Clairfontaine, played for the France youth national teams, in the case of Meghni, winning the 2001 U17 World Championships with France, and who have now switched their national team allegiances to nations their parents came from but where I doubt they have spent more than "tourism" time in.

Players should be allowed to switch their national team allegiance, within reason. Why? Because in the modern world we live in players, families, people are no longer anchored to one nation for their entire lives. Players themselves might move to two or three different nations during their playing careers, spend more years in country than they do their native land. FIFA should allow the players to make the choice of which nation they want to represent. However it is up to FIFA to make clear how a player can qualify for a nation. This is where FIFA must be strict and must enforce the rules. Otherwise we will start seeing national teams being "bought." To me the rules should be simple:

If the player's parents carry a passport or were born in a country you can play for that nation.
If the player was born in a nation he is eligible.
If a player has played or lives in a nation a specific amount of time, long enough to acquire that nation's citizenship via normal process (so no fast tracking as had happened with olympic skaters and other atheletes)

In the end, it is the player who needs to want to play for a specific nation. Freddy Adu opted for the US over his native Ghana, Pat Vieira played for France even though he was born in Dakar, Rossi was born in New Jersey (a few towns away from Sam!) but wanted to go play for his father's homeland of Italy, Neven Subotic lived and played college footie in America but wanted to play for Serbia, Deco and Eduardo are 2 more well know Brazilians who could not break into the famous national side so opted to adopt the European nation where they were plying their trade (Portugal and Croatia respectively) the list goes on. None of these players' decisions need be scrutinized (although Keano famously yelled at Vieira that he should have played for his native country...). If a player feels a draw towards another nation, and has the right according to FIFA to play for that nation than so be it.

Least we forget that in early times players would switch senior sides, usually due to political upheaval in their original nation - the Italian team that won their first world cup received much help from Argentines (players such as Guaita and Orsi had already played a number of games for their native Argentina before headlining Italy's world cup title), Puskas who lead the famous Flying Magyars (I would argue that Hungarian team might be the best team never to win a World Cup...hmmm I smell a blog post subject for later) played for Spain (granted only 4 times) after he escaped communist Hungary. Obviously as the game grew as well as the money, FIFA and other governing bodies recognized that they needed to put in place rules to avoid having players end up showcasing for two different nations in World Cups or other tournaments.

The game has come a long way from the 1930s with regards to determining which nation a player can represent. Removing the time limits on when a player needs to decide is a good move. However FIFA and the governing bodies must continue to monitor and enforce the rules. As nations such as Qatar and Equatorial Guinea cannot be allowed to simply buy players from other nations to give themselves a leg up against their opponents. FIFA cannot allow nations to go out and spend money to blatantly purchase talented players...countries such as Qatar should spend their sport's money on developing youth programs for players and coaches, upgrading facilities, and putting resources into the programs to develop and nurture home grown talent.

The world we live is grows more culturally diverse every day, the modern world allows greater freedom of travel, work and living. Nations such as France, England, Germany, the United States, to name a few, have had tremendous influxes of immigrants from a variety of nations. If talented players emerge from these groups the player needs to be able to decide what nation they want to represent and not be forced to make a decision by 21.

PSG v Lyon

gfncourtin@gmail.com (GFC) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 21:09:43 PDT

Big first match for PSG facing OL at the Parc Des Princes. This should prove to be a good match with Lyon, quietly playing very well, and PSG showing lots of potential (they really should have done better last week after dominating Monaco).

The story line will be how much will PSG miss Sessegnon who took a silly red card last week. Without the creative play maker, where will PSG's game take shape? Guily has found a home ont he right side and with Sessegnon running the left the team had some great balance. The middle being controlled by the likes of Makelele and Clement. PSG could turn to the youngster Makonda to play on the left or even Luyindula, however the former is young and would be under tremendous pressure and the latter is really more suited higher up the pitch or on the right. More will fall on Guily's shoulders to provide some of the creative spark and play that will be lost with Sessegnon sitting this game out.

Without their powerful creative midfielder will PSG be able to break Lyon? I think PSG will look to play solid in the back and try to take advantage of their height with Hourau up front (without Boumsong Lyon might have trouble controlling the tall PSG striker).

Being at home will help PSG, but only to the draw.